The House in the Marsh
by TheBaileyMonster
Summary: They didn't know the stories when they first moved into the house. The small town looked quiet. They thought it was perfect place to raise a family. They didn't know the story of The Woman in Black.
1. The first night

**Hey guys! I just saw this movie last night and it scared the crap out of me! I loved it so much I wrote a story about it. Sorry this chapter isn't very long or as well written as I'd have liked. I wrote this quickly so that I could get it out fast. I'm writing the next chapter now, please review and tell me what you think! It keeps me going! :)**

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><p>I had just married my wife Eliza. We still had that newlywed feeling between us. We were always cheery and we had not a care in the world as long as we had one another. She had always told me she wanted to settle down and start a family. I had promised her that once we were married that I would buy us a house and we would do just that, settle down. When I found out she was pregnant I finally started searching for a house. A few months later our daughter, Sarah was born. The idea seemed new to me. I never really had a family. My brother died when I was very young and my parents had never seemed the same since.<p>

Eliza and I looked for a house, but we didn't have much money at the time. I was a doctor, but I was new to the practice and I hadn't set up an office yet. That's when I found that gem of a town. It was a small village. Coincidentally enough, there was a house we could afford and I could set up a practice there. From what I heard the house was a jewel itself, A little out of the way, but large and elegant. The man who sold it to me failed to mention what happened there. Even though the house was a chore, we bought the house. I was a doctor and I planned to open up an office in the small village. We arrived in the village on our first day. All of our belongings were in the back of my buggy. After the long journey to the village Eliza was tired so we stopped inside an Inn to get some refreshments before heading to our new home.

The Inn Keeper excused himself from the room upon our entering. Instead, a woman took his place gazing at us with sad eyes.

"What can I get for you?"

"Could I have some water please?" Eliza asked her. She was carrying Sarah in her arms.

The woman fetched her glass then turned to me.

"Please, Sir…" She whispered, "Get out of that house while you can. It causes nothing but tragedy…" Her eyes shifted to Sarah. "I beg of you…"

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "Pardon me?"

"Thank you, miss," Eliza said, setting down her empty cup and tossing a coin next to it.

The Inn Keeper reappeared then, stepping in. "Y'all best be going now, before the tide comes in."

"Right. Of course," I said, smiling weakly. I put an arm around Eliza and lead her out.

What was wrong with the house we had purchased? Was everyone in this village so hostile towards newcomers?

We arrived at our actual house late in the afternoon. The path leading to the house was covered in water when the tide came in so we were stranded at our house at certain times. It was one of the setbacks of having a home surrounded by marsh. I unloaded some of our trunks and lead Eliza and Sarah inside. The house wasn't what I had imagined. It may have once been elegant but now it was dark and trashed. Dusty furniture cluttered the room and cobwebs hung from the ceiling. It was not an ideal living space. It gave off a rather spooky feeling. Eliza walked over and picked up a picture frame.

"I wonder who this is." She said curiously.

The picture was of a small boy and what appeared to be his mother.

I shrugged. "It looks like the last owners left all of their possessions here. Maybe it's one of them. Here, let me see it."

She handed me the picture and picked up a different one.

Sarah laughed, staring at the second floor.

"What's so funny, Sarah?" Eliza cooed.

The baby giggled staring at the unknown object.

"I'll go see how it looks upstairs," I said, setting down the bags. I was more curious to find what was entertaining my daughter so much. I pulled a match from my pocket and lit a candle as I walked up the stairs. I still had the picture frame in my hands. Some light shone into the hallway from the last room at the end of the hallway. I walked inside to see it might have once been a nursery. Dolls littered the floor. I was more disturbed to find writing on the wall. I set the picture down on the muddy bed and walked closer to investigate.

_YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HIM _

That was what was written on the wall in crimson. I couldn't help but note that it deeply resembled blood. I shivered. This place was not what I had hoped it would be. I looked out the window and saw it had started to rain. I retrieved the picture.

Now we wouldn't be able to leave until at least tomorrow. I was starting to realize the problems of living in a house surrounded by marsh.

I turned to leave but something caught my eye, a quick movement. I thought I'd seen a shadow.

I left the room quickly, but before I'd left I heard someone whisper one word.

"Mine."


	2. The dream

**Hey guys! I tried to make this chapter a little bit better… please leave me feedback, it keeps me going! Also I do not own the poem used, if you are wondering where it is from, it is actually from the trailer for The Woman in Black. I just thought that I would try to incorporate it, but I do not own it! Also, I'd like to add that next chapter is more hands on. So far they've only gotten glimpses of the ghosts, but next chapter I'm going to try to make them interact more...okay sorry this intro is so long! Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>Neither the shadow nor the whisper bothered me. I wasn't the superstitious type and I was not scared easily. I simply figured that it was an old house. Old houses make noises. It had also been a long day. My mind was probably playing tricks on me. Although the writing on the walls was a little strange I disregarded it. The last owners could have been crazy or a child from the village could have painted it here as a joke.<p>

My mind was filled with constructive thoughts. I thought I could rebuild the nursery into a room for Sarah. I realized then that I hadn't found what she was laughing at. It was probably nothing. I missed that innocence, being able to see nothing at all and find composure in it.

"Is it alright up there? Did you find anything interesting, James?"

Eliza's voice broke my thoughts.

"No. It's a mess up there though. It looks as though a tornado tore through the rooms."

She sighed. "This house was dramatically overstated. I see now why it was so inexpensive."

I realized that I was still holding on to the picture so I set it down on a small table.

"Don't worry, darling. We can fix this place up. I'm going into town tomorrow to see if an office is available so that I can start working."

She smiled at me. "What a lovely idea."

That evening, I set up Sarah's crib and put her in it while Eliza started to clean up the kitchen. I was clearing up the study when I found a picture. The desk had been littered with mountains of paperwork.

It was photograph of the woman and her son from the other picture along with another person whom I assumed was the father. What was peculiar about this picture was that the eyes had been scratched out.

"Eliza, come in here! I've just found the strangest thing!"

I heard a clang from the kitchen. After a moment I called to her again.

"Eliza!"

Before I could utter another word she screamed. I dropped the picture and ran to her. She was standing against a wall staring at the window in fright.

"Eliza, Darling? What is it?"

"I saw something!" She said, pointing a finger to the window. She was shaking. "There! Outside! I saw a child!"

"A child? Eliza, it's raining and the tide is in. There can't be anyone out there."

"I'm telling you what I saw! There was someone out there! They were watching me, James!"

I put a gentle hand on the side of her face, "Calm down, you're just tired. You've been working like a dog in here. Why don't you lie down and relax for a bit? I haven't checked the Master Bedroom but it can't be as much of a disaster as this room."

She nodded, but before she left the room she turned back around. "I don't like this house, James."

"It'll just take some getting used to, that's all."

She looked at the window and shuddered. "I hope so."

I heard her pick up Sarah and go upstairs. I went back to the study and lit the fireplace. I needed to get rid of these papers. I tossed pile after pile into the fire, listening to it crackle in protest. The light it cast danced around the walls. I tossed the photograph in too. Eliza was having enough trouble adjusting to the old house; I did not want to frighten her any more than she already was. With the desk clear, I went upstairs. It was pretty late and the house was at its darkest. I managed to get to the second floor without stumbling and I made my way to our room. She had managed to clear the room and it looked almost presentable. Eliza was asleep, Sarah in her crib that she had moved into the bedroom. They looked so peaceful. I crept next to Eliza, careful not to wake her up, and quickly fell asleep. Only a few hours later I woke up. Eliza was standing over Sarah's crib, reaching for her.

Sarah wasn't crying so I wondered what was going on.

"Eliza, what are you doing?"

She pulled away and turned to face me. I was horrified to see, that it was not my wife at all. It was a woman… a woman who was dressed entirely in black. She had gray looking skin but I didn't get a close look at her face because she was wearing a dark veil.

"Who are you?"

The woman raised her gloved hand, which held a piece of paper, and screamed.

I sat up breathing heavily. I must have been dreaming. Light was shining in through the window and I was alone in the room. I stood up, letting the sunlight fully wake me. Then I saw on the small table next to the bed a folded piece of paper. It looked vaguely familiar. I opened it up cautiously and read it.

_During afternoon tea, there's a shift in the air. _

_A bone trembling chill, that tells you she's there. _

_There are those who believe, that the whole town is cursed. _

_But the house in the marsh, is by far the_ _worst. _

_What she wants is unknown, but she always comes back. _

_The specter of darkness, The Woman in Black._

I pondered the note. Was this poem supposed to be some sort of riddle? It felt similar to my dream...the woman in black... I tucked it into my pocket for safekeeping. I got dressed and walked downstairs, questions still swirling through my head.


	3. The graveyard

**Wow! There are so many reviews! Thank you so much guys! I read every single one of them and they made my day! Glad to hear you like the story so far! I will definitely continue it! Leave me feedback for this chapter and tell me what you think! Love you all! I am currently working on the next chapter so stay tuned! I think I'll post it this weekend, sorry for the wait. :\ I just have tons of reports for school that I'm putting off by writing this chapter, so I have to do those first…anyway sorry this intro is so long again, but I promise I'll work on the next chapter soon and have it out by the weekend sometime or maybe before! Also, next chapter they get a visitor…DUN DUN DUN! I'll try to make it a fantastic chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>The tide was out. I couldn't have been more relieved. Being stuck in the house was not a good feeling. I felt trapped. I was going into town to find an office so that I could start working. I hoped that not everyone would come off as hostile, like the Inn keeper had.<p>

Eliza said she would bring Sarah and come into town with me. She said she needed to get groceries but I'm pretty positive that she was too scared to stay alone in the house until the tide was once again out.

We left the house, following the long path towards the marsh where my buggy was. We passed a graveyard which I had failed to notice before because it was hidden by the trees. It gave the already creepy house an even more eerie feel. How had the bank failed to mention that before selling us this house? I was starting to understand my wife's distress.

I pulled away from the house, driving quickly through the mud. As we drove away I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched. It was a disturbing feeling. We passed the wooden cross that somehow managed to stay sturdy in the wet marsh.

Arriving back into town we were greeted by the same amount of hospitality as we had when we first showed up, just as I had feared. While we drove through the village I observed that there were no other clinics. That meant that there were no doctors. I dropped off Eliza and Sarah at the small building with a sign reading:

_GROCER AND TELEGRAPH_

Then I went to the constable's office to see if there were any empty buildings in town for sale that I could start an office at. The constable was a grumpy looking man with gray hair. Upon my entering he looked up from some papers and frowned in my direction.

"Excuse me, constable, I'm sorry to trouble you but I'm looking for a commercial building I could rent out for a while? I'm a doctor you see, and I was hoping to set up an office in town."

The constable eyed me closely then pulled out a brown folder which he quickly shuffled through.

"No, I'm sorry sir. There are no buildings available at this time."

"No buildings available? There must be at least one."

"No. Not one. I think you're better off leaving town and finding a better place to set up an office."

"Leaving town? I just moved here with my wife and daughter. I live just over the hill at Eel Marsh House. Please constable, I need a place to work."

"I'm sorry sir; there are no buildings available at this time."

I walked out, deeply upset. There had to have been a building available. Half of the places in the village had looked empty and deserted. He was hiding something. He didn't want me to work, he even suggested that I leave town! What was going on?

I thought about my office problem on the way to pick up Eliza and Sarah and came to a solution. I figured that if I cleaned up the study at our house that I could pass it off as an office. It was a little out of the way for the village residents, but it would have to make do. There was no other place for me to work from and the people of the village didn't have a doctor. After I picked up my family I stopped at the general store and grabbed a few things. I made a couple signs and hung them around the town, hoping people would notice them. It was rather silly that I was advertising my own doctor's office. I later realized how ridiculous the idea of an at-home clinic was.

Luckily, the tide had just gone out when I finished with my business in town and drove home. As we neared our house I saw the wooden cross again and an idea struck me.

When I pulled up at the bottom of the hill leading to our house Eliza grabbed Sarah and I took the bags from the back. Before I took them inside I grabbed my last sign and walked out onto the path through the marsh. For being under the water for part of the day it was actually quite solid. The mud around the path didn't look the same though. It was dreadfully foggy and I could hardly see anything more than a few feet away. I made my way to the wooden cross and pulled the sign out from under my arm. Juggling the bags, I tacked the sign to the old wooden post.

I took a few steps back and looked at the sign. It read:

_James Berkley, MD_

I was finally open for business. I didn't feel very professional but I got the job done.

I maneuvered my way through the fog back to where my car stood. I carried the bags up the hill pausing to peek at the graveyard. It was just a small clearing with uneven gravestones covered in moss, but a single gravestone caught my eye. It was taller than the rest because it had an angel statue on the top. It was old and slightly worn away. All that I could make out was:

_Here lies Jennet…may she…with…only son…_

The wind whistled around me. I admit then that even though I was not exactly scared, at that point the idea of having dead people buried on my property, so close to my house freaked me out a bit.

"He is mine."

The whisper hit me like a slap in the face. I dropped the bags I was carrying and they hit the ground with a thud. I turned around, looking for whoever had spoken to me. After searching my surroundings and finding no one I convinced myself that it was just the wind. I was not entirely convinced though. I felt Goosebumps on the back of my neck.

"James? What's taking so long? Are you alright out there?" I heard Eliza call from the front door.

I picked up the bags, trying to process what I had just heard.

"Yes, of course," I responded trying to keep my voice calm so that I would not alarm her.

I turned to walk away but I saw something. Upon lifting my foot from the soil above Jennet's grave I realized that my shoe had left an imprint. These graves looked rather old, which meant that whoever was buried here had been under the ground for a long time. Yet, this soil was fresh.

That was when I realized that there was something wrong with the house, something terribly wrong. I quickly walked away, almost tripping on an outstretched tree branch in my path. I did not, however, walk away fast enough to miss the shadow that moved behind a tree merely a few feet away from where I had just been standing. I had the horrible feeling that I was being watched.


	4. The visitors

**Hey guys! I finally got it out! Yay! My long awaited chapter I promised. Before I say anything else, I want to tell you guys that I made a facebook page, and if you want updates and previews on my upcoming stories and chapters I recommend liking it so you can stay updated! I'll put up a preview of next chapter there. Sorry to spam you guys like that. :\ Also thanks a ton for the reviews, you guys are why I'm pursuing this story and I'm happy to say that I have tons of ideas for what to do next. So keep reading! Also, I did not create the poem again. I found this on the Woman in Black's facebook page, so just to repeat that, I do not own it the poem used! Leave me feedback on this chapter, blah blah blah. Enjoy! I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I finish it.**

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><p>I hurried into the house, spooked by the whisper in the graveyard. I slammed the door behind me, locking it with a sharp click.<p>

"What's wrong?" Eliza asked, eyeing me curiously.

"Nothing at all," I stammered. She frowned and I knew she could tell that I was lying.

"James, honestly-" A loud crash made me jump.

"What was that?" I asked her.

She strode over to an open window and slammed it shut.

"It's storming again!"

"Storming? I was just out there."

"Care to take a look yourself?"

I walked over and sure enough, it was pouring rain. I remember thinking how peculiar it was for the weather to change so quickly all of the sudden like that. Another blast of thunder broke me from my thoughts.

"How odd."

Eliza turned back around to face me.

"Could you watch Sarah for me? I've almost finished clearing up the sitting room, then I'm going to go work on the nursery. It's quite a mess up there."

"Of course," I replied. Eliza nodded to her cradle, which was constantly being dragged to different locations around the house so that she could stay in sight. I then decided to clear out the rest of the study. I pulled Sarah and her crib into the room and then stood up. I gasped. On the desk was a picture: An old yellowing photograph of a family of three. I held it up to the light to get a better look at it. Each person had their eyes scratched out. This picture seemed incredibly familiar. Then I realized it. I had tossed this exact photograph into the fireplace last night. Yet, here it was in my hand, without a single burn on it. How had that happened? Sarah waved her small fist in the air and giggled.

"What is it, Sarah?"

She laughed looking at the window in the study. I turned to see what she was looking at and saw nothing. I was about to walk over to look out of it when a loud noise stopped me. At first I thought it was just thunder. Then I heard it again.

"James?" Eliza called from the kitchen, "Is that…Is that the door? Is somebody at the door?"

"I'm not sure," I yelled back to her. I walked over and opened it. Sure enough there were two young boys standing there. They looked like brothers. They were in the freezing rain but they didn't look cold. Oddly enough, they were holding handkerchiefs to their necks.

"Are you Dr Berkley?" One asked.

"Yes, I am. Are you boys alright?"

"We need some help. I think that we're hurt."

I nodded, letting them in. I motioned for them to follow me to the study. I let them sit down on a small bench I had in front of my desk.

"Could you remove the handkerchief?" I asked the first boy. He nodded, wincing as he pulled it off.

There was a cut on his neck that was looking pretty serious.

"How did this happen?" I asked them.

The second boy shook his head. "I can't remember. All I can remember was playing with Robby and then my head hurt."

"Where are you r parents? Do they know about this?"

"I don't know. I can't remember if I told them."

The other boy, whom I presumed was Robby, nodded in agreement.

"Well it's a good thing that you two found me, these injuries could have been a lot worse. The bad news is that you need stitches. These cuts are deep and if I don't stitch this up then it could rupture again."

The boys nodded, not showing any signs of fear or any expression at all for that matter.

I pulled out some materials and started to stitch up Robby when the other boy spoke again.

"Do you want to hear a song I heard earlier, Dr Berkley?"

I laughed. "Sure."

"_Our parents warned us to stay far away,_

_When the tide comes in she comes out to play._

_She searches the land for a lost one,_

_Wailing and calling until the dawning sun._

_She enters the village before the morning frost,_

_Searching for children to replace her long lost._

_One by one, she takes them away,_

_Back to the marsh where they'll forever stay._

_She'll never give up until she gets them back,_

_No one can stop The Woman in Black."_

I froze and my smile vanished. I stopped stitching up Robby's neck.

"Who is The Woman in Black? Where did you hear such a thing?"

The boy just smiled.

"James, Dear? Was anyone at the door?" Eliza asked, walking in.

I turned to her. "Just these two boys. Those signs worked rather quickly, don't you-"

"What two boys?"

"These two…" I turned back around to find that there was no one there.

"I swear, Eliza, there were two boys here. I was just stitching up one's neck."

"Don't be foolish James. The tide is in." I walked over the window now, only to find that indeed, that tide was in. So the boys couldn't have been here. I wasn't sure what was going on. I felt like a madman.

"James? What is this?" Eliza's voice quivered as she held up the photograph on the desk.

"I'm not sure. I found it here last night."

"James, I don't like this house. It scares me."

"Darling, it's just an old house, you'll get used to it eventually."

Eliza screamed.

Outside of our window was a woman…in seconds I realized it was the woman from my dream. She was wearing all black with a black veil covering her face. Then I saw a burden in her hands. She was carrying a small bundle. Even then, under her veil, I saw the corners of her lips curve into a smile. Eliza screamed again, grabbing my arm, causing me to take my eyes off of the woman.

"SARAH IS GONE!" Eliza screamed.

I looked back at the window only to find that it was empty. The woman was gone.


	5. The final night

**Hey guys, if you don't already know, this chapter is the conclusion to The House in the Marsh. Sorry these last two chapters took so long for me to write! I hope you liked my story and I will continue to write other stories in the future. Thanks for the support and i hope you enjoy the conclusion! Also, if you review, leave me suggestions for a category to write in next! Check my facebook page, which the link for is on my fanfiction profile, for more updates on that. Love you guys! Tell me what you think!**

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><p>A blast of thunder hit and Eliza let out another scream that sounded like sobbing. I tore away from her, running to the front door. I was not going to wait for answers. I was going to get my daughter back.<p>

I ran to outside of the study window. The rain was pouring harder now. There was no sign of anyone, except for one thing. There were footprints. Small footprints in the mud that lead back to the path. I looked ahead and realized that they lead all the way down to the graveyard.

I followed the path into the graveyard. The heavy rain had changed the ground. Where I noticed the dirt was fresh earlier, the dirt had completely washed away. It revealed a ditch with an old wooden coffin in the ground. Horrified I stepped backwards, tripping over the outstretched branch on the path.

I heard a distinct noise in my ear. It sounded exactly like a child. It was Sarah's laugh. I crawled back to my feet, covered in mud.

"Where are you?" I screamed, "What have you done with Sarah?"

Lightning flashed and the rain continued to beat down on me. I looked at the house and noticed something. Something about the house had changed. In the Nursery window was the woman. I could barely make out her pale face in the darkness of the room around her. I understood then, that whoever this person -_or thing-_, was she was The Woman in Black.

The words of the two poems echoed in my head.

_The specter of Darkness, the Woman in Black…_

_No one can stop the Woman in Black…_

It had been right under my nose this entire time. The way people acted towards us… They all knew something was wrong with this house. Why hadn't they warned me? I felt so stupid…but there was no time for feelings like that now. I quickly trudged through the wet mud back into the house. Eliza was racing up the stairs, screaming hysterically. I didn't even bother to shut the front door, I ran after her, towards the nursery. Eliza had seen her too. The door was ajar and Eliza reached it first.

"Sarah?" She screamed. I was almost to the door…

"Sarah! Sarah, no!"

I had a clear view of the mirror and I saw something Eliza didn't. The Woman in Black was waiting in the back corner of the room. She was directly next to the writing on the wall watching Sarah.

"Sarah? Sarah, It's mommy! Come here, darling! Please, Sarah, please come to mommy!" Eliza was trying to sound calm for her daughter but the hysterical hint in her voice was obvious. I threw open the door, looking for the woman. The back corner was empty.

Sarah was sitting on the windowsill, barely an inch away from the edge. The window was now open, and Sarah was at a terrible risk of falling at any second. The rain and fog were spilling into the room, creating an ever-growing puddle below the window. She turned her innocent baby eyes at me and smiled. She laughed, turning to the Woman in the corner. I looked to the corner and saw nothing. I knew she was there though. She had always been here. Sarah waved her chubby fist at the figure. Was this what she had been laughing at all along? I did not want to think about the possibilities. I wanted to save my child.

I joined into Eliza's coaxing, daring to take another step closer to Sarah.

"Sarah, love? Come here. Come to daddy."

Eliza's face was tear streaked and her black eye makeup was dripping lines down her face.

My statement was responded to by another fit of laughter from Sarah and she teetered nervously on the edge. Eliza took a step towards her, reaching out her arms.

"Sarah? Sweetie? Mommy wants you to come away from the window."

Eliza's voice cracked and she sounded desperate.

In an instant lightning and thunder crashed together and in that moment I saw something in the mirror….Something that made my stomach drop. The Woman in Black nodded to Sarah and the toddler, who had her big blue eyes on the Woman in Black, seemed to understand. She gave me one last smile and then leaned back. Before her silhouette disappeared I heard her high pitched baby voice say one thing,

"Never Forgive."

Eliza sank to her knees screaming in horror. I was in shock. I had lost the one thing that had mattered most. My mind shut down and I felt numb. The thought that Sarah had hardly been able to say 'da-da' and 'ma-ma' and had just said two complicated words for her age perfectly didn't even occur to me. A splash was heard from outside. Eliza let out another screech.

"NO! MY BABY! SARAH!" She stood up, sobbing. She took a step forward and I grabbed her arm.

"Eliza! No!"

She wiped away her tears, a glint of madness behind her eyes that so perfectly resembled Sarah's. I turned to look in the mirror and saw that the Woman in Black was still there, her face masked by her veil. I couldn't read her. Eliza turned to me, placing a hand on the side of my face.

"James, it's okay…we can all still be together…"

"No, Eliza, please!" She shook off my grip and walked to the window. She looked down, acknowledging what I assumed to be our daughter's corpse.

"Eliza, don't do this!"

"We can be together. Come with me, James."

"You're all I have left!" I had lost enough; I couldn't bear to lose my wife too. I wasn't giving her up to this-this _place_! She was mirroring Sarah's final moments.

I dove for her. She wasn't sitting on the window. She still had a chance.

She moved out of the way. She paused to look down at me on the floor.

"James, we can be _together_!" she repeated. Her face had changed somehow. I was no longer looking at my wife. I felt like I was looking at an insane stranger. She gave me a sad look and I realized that no matter what I did I couldn't stop her. She backed up to the window.

"Together, James." Her expression grew determined.

Then she was gone. Lightning struck as if on cue, illuminating the window's frame.

I stood up. I felt dead. I wanted to die. I just couldn't meet my end now; not like this. I had nothing to live for. I backed away, closer to the door. I saw the Woman in the mirror still. I wanted nothing more than that nightmare to be over.

_Tick_

One of the toys littering the floor of the nursery sprung to life.

_Tick_

I grabbed the wind-up doll. The Woman in Black was watching me, her reflection in the mirror. I threw the doll at the mirror. The mirror shattered, the image of the woman breaking with each piece.

_Tick_

The doll was still going. I ran down the staircase back outside into the rainy yard.

"Eliza!" I called, not wanting to go anywhere near where their bodies lay. After no response I knew, even deep in my heart, that she was gone. She had left with Sarah. The doll echoed in my head.

_Tick_

I wasn't thinking straight. I was losing my mind. I ran straight into the fog surrounding Eel Marsh House. My car was waiting and I just drove. The tide wasn't quite out all the way yet and the car was slower than usual. When I reached the town I got out like a zombie and walked on, desperate to leave the town. I felt the stares of the town on me. A man ushered his son inside muttering,

"Not my boy. Not like Robby and his dear twin Harold."

_Tick_

I was too preoccupied to take in what he was saying though. I reached the train station and bought a ticket to the nearest town. I had to get away. I didn't fear they would find the bodies. No one would visit the house. I wasn't right in the head. I had lost everything I cared about in this world. It dawned upon me and I fought back tears. I took the ticket and a short while later I boarded the train. The collector made his way up to me.

"Ticket, sir?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small piece of paper, handing it to the collector.

"I'm sorry sir, but you have to have a ticket to board the train."

He handed me back the paper and I stopped breathing. What was in my hand was the old photograph that I burned my first night. The one I found the next day inexplicably on my desk that portrayed the previous owners with their eyes scratched out.

_Tick_

Without a single word, I dug around in my pocket and pulled out my real ticket, handing it to the collector. I yelled in frustration when he left, tearing the photograph into small pieces and dumping them out of the window. Then the train took off. I looked out my window one last time, and to my horror I saw people. I saw the twins who visited me, I saw other children and I saw The Woman in Black. What horrified me most, though, was that among those people I saw Sarah. _My_ Sarah. Then I noticed my beautiful Eliza behind her.

_Tick_

I was in denial about their deaths. I thought that maybe they had survived their falls. I opened my window and stood on my seat, craning my head out.

"Eliza! Sarah!" I called madly.

Vaguely I heard the collector call from behind me, "Sir you must stay seated while the train is in motion!"

I didn't hear him. All I could see was a smile, barely distinguishable, under the Woman in Black's veil. The children all turned to face me, waving in unison. Even under this trance I heard the doll's music.

_Tick_

I was so distracted by the sight that I didn't have time to pull my head in when I saw the pole along the side of the tracks.

_Tick_

And it tore my head clean off.


End file.
